Jan Stefan Bauer MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Dirk Mueller MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Felix Eckstein MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Sharmila Majumdar PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Ernst Josef Rummeny MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Thomas Marc Link MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

In osteoporosis, bone demineralization is heterogeneous and site and region specific. The purpose of this study was to investigate in an experimental study using Multislice CT which site of the vertebral body is best suited for analysis of trabecular bone structure and bone mineral density (BMD) measurement in the assessment of osteoporosis resp. biomechanical strength.

20 cylindrical trabecular bone specimens (diameter 12 mm, length 15-20 mm) were harvested from the vertebral bodies of formalin-fixed human thoracic spines. All specimens were examined with a 4 rows Multislice Spiral-CT using a slice thickness of 0.5 mm and a in plane spatial resolution of 0.23 mm. Quantitative, histomorphologic parameters were determined in those specimens for the whole vertebra, a superior (below the endplate), mid-vertebral and inferior (superior to the endplate) region. Additionally BMD was measured with quantitative CT (QCT) in the same regions. In all specimens maximum compressive strength (MCS) was determined using axial loading.

The standard BMD measurement correlated significantly with the MCS (rē = 0.49, p < 0.01). In case of the BMD, the highest correlation was obtained in the mid-vertebral region (rē= 0.60, p < 0.01), but there were no significant differences between the different vertebral sites. For the structural parameters the highest correlation with the MCS was obtained using one of the structure measures in the superior region (rē = 0.85, p < 0.01). This correlation was significantly higher than the correlation between MCS and BMD (p < 0.05).

Compared to clinical BMD measurements the prediction of MCS was significantly improved using a structure parameter measured in the superior region of excised vertebral bodies. This indicates that histomorphologic parameters measured at skeletal sites with higher bone turn-over, such as the part below the endplate of the vertebral body, may improve the assessment of biomechanical strength of bone.

Bauer, J, Mueller, D, Eckstein, F, Majumdar, S, Rummeny, E, Link, T, Multislice CT of the Spine for the Assessment of Osteoporosis: Which Site of the Vertebral Body Is Best Suited to Obtain BMD and Structural Measurements?.  Radiological Society of North America 2004 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 28 - December 3, 2004 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2004/4410023.html